Created by: Eugene Fasano and James Hutt

Illustrated by: Wizard of the Coast, Eugene Fasano, David Revoy, Matt Morrow, Marius Janusonis
Publishers Choice Quality Stock Art Rick Hershey / Fat Goblin Games

2017 Arcana games LLC. All rights reserved.

Trouble in Waterdeep
Trouble in Waterdeep is part one of a three
part series of introductory adventures designed
for four characters levels 1 to 3. Each adventure
takes place in Waterdeep but can be easily
converted as a module for any city or urban
location. They can be run individually or in
sequence as a connected story.
Trouble in Waterdeep centers around the
actions of characters in the plague stricken
Copper District of Waterdeeps Southern Ward.
By the end of the first chapter they will have
figured out that this plague is no act of nature,
but is part of a larger plot. By the end of the
second chapter, they will have discovered that
their enemy is of House Blackwood. By the end
of the third and final chapter, they will have
unmasked their adversary as Bran Blackwood
and put a stop to his deadly plot.
Bran Blackwood is the bastard son of the
wealthy and powerful noble House Blackwood.
He believes he should succeed his mother in
ruling the House. To aid him in this cause, he is
seeking a powerful amulet owned by one of his
ancestors. Thought to be no more than a family
legend, this amulet has the power to make those
of his line live as long as elves.
He has discovered that the amulet is buried
somewhere beneath the Copper District and has
begun several excavations to unearth it. He
caused the plague by having his loyal servants
poison the citys grain shipments to the poor.
This act not only serves to remove any witnesses
who might interfere with his tunneling, but also
provides him with an undead workforce, capable
of toiling day and night beneath the cobbled
streets.
Chapter 1: The Copper
Plague
The Copper District is warren of poor slums
and crumbling old foundries in the Southern
Ward of Waterdeep. Lacking the abundant
wealth of the Trade Ward to the north and the
bustling commerce of the Dock Ward to the
West, the Copper District lies in a state of
neglected disrepair.
Recently the troubles of the Copper District
have gotten worse. A sudden and deadly
plague has beset the area, afflicting its
impoverished denizens. The disease has come
to be called the Copper Plague for its localized
affliction of the district. City officials have
quarantined the district and seem content to
simply wait out the affliction with little
concern for the humans and half-orcs bearing
the brunt of its pestilence.
Unbeknownst to the characters, the Copper
Plague is only contracted after prolonged
exposure to the districts grain. The characters
have no risk of contracting the disease.
A1. Town Crier
The characters should begin in one of the
Southern Wards market squares, near to, but
outside of the Copper District.
Standing atop a crate is a haggard looking
man, calling out in a voice hoarse from
yelling over the indifferent milling of the
crowd. Please! Brothers and sisters of the
A 2. Copper District Gate
The gates of the Copper District are a pair of
ancient, vaulted wooden doors, plated in peeling
green copper foil. In front of the tall gates stand a
pair of City Guards, hands resting casually on
their sword hilts. The City Guards will not allow
entry into the quarantined district. They are
trained soldiers and cannot be intimidated or
persuaded, even with gold.

city, hear me! The Copper District needs your
aid! The plague has cost many lives, but many
more may be saved -- we need able bodied to
hlep track down the source of the affliction.
The young lady Blackwood a reward of fifty
platinum suns to who aids in finding its
cause.
As he goes on, the small crowd around him
thins and disperses and a brutish looking man
calls out, No amount of platinum will get me
to go in that infested rat trap. Soon only a
handful of onlookers remain.
Sondar Lackman. The man atop the crate is
Sondar Lackman, a citizen of the Copper District
and part of its council. He has pled with the
Blackwoods for silver to hire help for the sick
people of his district. While the city has turned a
blind eye on the districts plight, House
Blackwood has stepped in to offer a relief effort.
He knows the following:
The aid from House Blackwood was
unexpected as the noble Houses have turned their
backs on the District in its hour of need.
A 3. Stuck Cart
Along the filthy road that exits the gates sits a
small, heavily carved, carriage of dwarven make,
stuck in the rut on side of the road. A pair of draft
ponies paw the cobbles restlessly. A dwarf in fine
silks with gold rings on each of his square fingers
will approach the characters after they have been
turned away by the guards.
Rurik Amberforge. The dwarf introduces himself
as Rurik Amberforge, a wealthy merchant. He was
taking a detour around the quarantine when his
cart ran afoul of the ditch. He offers to use his
merchants papers to grant them entry if they help
him move his cart back onto the roadway. The
guards wont leave their post to help him, hes
even tried to offer them gold. Despite his
predicament, he seems good natured and jovial. If
there is a Dwarf among the characters he will
greet them warmly.

The matron of the House, Lady Westra

Blackwood, is known for being a cold and
pragmatic woman.
Lady Westra Blackwood is rumored to be a
Masked Lord of Waterdeep.

The three Blackwood children, Bran, Mara,

and Ander, are spearheading the relief effort.

If pressed, Sondar will share his belief that the

relief effort is simply another calculated plan
by Lady Blackwood to make the common
people think well of her sickly son, Ander,
who she has named heir. Sondar is, however,
grateful for the aid, whatever their motivation.
 The cart can be freed with a successful DC 15
Strength (Athletics) check. As the characters help
to free the cart, another carriage will pass,
splashing them with mud as it enters the
quarantined district. Rurik identifies the black
tree on its side as the crest of House Blackwood.
The City Guard moves swiftly to open the gates
as it goes through.
Rurik wipes mud from his robes and says
That carriage was likely the lady of the
House, Westra Blackwood. She wouldnt lift a
finger to help a drowning pup, but at least her
children are an alright lot, managing the relief
effort. Gods know, these poor souls need it."
After the cart is free, Rurik will flash his official
documents that permit him free movement
within the city, and the City Guards will allow the
characters to pass into the Copper District.
A 4. Copper District Streets
As soon as the characters enter the Copper
District, the squalor becomes apparent. The air is
thick with the stench of sickness and death.
Beggars and cripples wander the streets, asking
for spare copper nibs.
A pushcart rattles by, pilled high with corpses,
pulled by a man in black leathers that bear the
symbol of House Blackwood. A scrap of black
cloth is tied over his nose and mouth. If asked
about his duties he will reply that he is taking the
plagued bodies to the temple of Mystra for
cremation.
As the characters progress further into the
districts narrow cobbled streets, they will pass an
alleyway with two rag clad beggars fighting over a
dirty loaf of bread.
Nearby, a cart rests in the center of a small
square. Atop it, a pair of House Blackwood
enforcers are standing, throwing out loaves of
stale bread to a crowd of dirty humans. As
they toss each loaf, they cry, Young Lord
Ander Blackwood is generous! Young Lord
Ander Blackwood has not forgotten you!
This spectacle is interrupted as a woman in
the crowd shrieks Help, pickpocket!
One of the enforcers will jump from the cart to
chase after a small figure racing through the
crowd, but is caught up in the throng of people,
angrily moving towards the cart. Upset at the
interruption, the hungry mob swarms the cart,
intent on taking the rest of the bread. The
characters notice some children who had been
picking up fallen crumbs at the base of the cart
that will be trampled by the throng.
If the characters either stop the stampede or the
pickpocket, or both, they are rewarded with the
following explanation. As the distrcit is locked
down, not enough food is being traded. Thus
there is a famine on top of the spreading sickness
and they have been relying solely on the rations
from House Blackwood.
A 5. Inner Quarantine
As the characters continue to wander the
streets, they will come across an upset family
pleading with a pair of Blackwood enforcers. The
Blackwood enforcers are standing at a makeshift
barricade blocking the street, made from stacked
barrels and empty crates.
The family, a mother, father, and young
daughter are begging to be let through. They are
carrying bread from the bread cart. in his
pleading, the father mentions that they have a sick
son on the other side and need to be let through.
The enforcers say that they will not let the
family nor the characters through. They claim
that if they go in they will surely die, as this
quarter is rampant with the plague; this quarter of
the district is under maximum quarantine. They
are under direct orders from Lord Bran
Blackwood.

A 6. The Grainery
If the characters decide to investigate the
maximum quarantined area, this event will occur
there. If they do not, they will encounter it
elsewhere; a half-orc gang hired by Bran
Blackwood is poisoning the releif bread his family
is distributing.

As night begins to fall over the tiled roofs of

the Copper District, you notice a group out of
place among the thinning masses of poor and
afflicted denizens. Three large figures
shrouded in black cloaks disappear into an
alleyway between two leaning buildings, each
carrying a large cast under one burly arm.

These three figures are a group of half-orc

mercenaries intent on poisoning the grain stores
in the adjacent warehouse. The characters turn
the corner just in time to see the figures slipping
through tall doors into a large granary warehouse,
piled high with mountains of grain. The sacks in
side bear the Blackwood family crest.
The orcs casks contain visibly contaminated
grain, poisoned with the Copper Plague.
Characters that defeat Krusk and his orcs
advance to the 2nd level
Chapter 2: Beneath the B2. Following the Cart
Cobbles
The Copper District is warren of poor slums
If the characters wander the streets, it will not
take them long to stumble upon a pushcart, piled
high with the charred remains of victims from
and crumbling old foundries in the Southern
last nights fires, being pulled by a pair of House
Ward of Waterdeep. Lacking the abundant wealth
Blackwood enforcers.
of the Trade Ward to the north and the bustling
commerce of the Dock Ward to the West, the
If the characters follow the cart without
Copper District lies in a state of neglected
detection by making a DC 15 Dexterity (Stealth)
disrepair.
skill check, it will lead them to a sewer entrance
Recently the district has been hit with a
where the enforcers will hand the cart off to a pair
calamity of plague and famine, receiving aid from
of half orcs. The half orcs will pull the cart into
only the noble House Blackwood and a handful of
the darkness of the sewer tunnel.
volunteers. Some denizens whisper of poison.
If the characters fail their stealth roll, the

B1. The Infirmary
The characters begin in a ramshackle infirmary,
overflowing with the coughing sick of plague
stricken denizens injured and displaced by
various quarantined areas.
Amid the chaos, the players are approached by
S Lackman, a member of the Copper Districts
council. He claims he has an urgent matter to
discuss but refuses to speak until he is alone with
the characters. Once he is confident he is not
being overheard, he will tell the characters that he
has seen a strange and troubling sight.
enforcers drawing the cart will pretend not to
notice, and take the cart into an alleyway where
they will confront the players. If either of the
enforcers is caught and questioned, he can be
compelled to give the following pieces of
information.
They are taking the bodies to the sewers.
They do not enter the sewers themselves, but
turn the bodies over to half-orcs.
They do not know what happens to the bodies.

House Blackwood enforcers have stated they A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation)

have been taking carts laden with bodies to the or Wisdom (Survival) skill check of the cart also
temple of Mystra for cremation. reveals that the mud on the cart wheels is from a
sewer.
He recently went to the Temple of Mystra to
pay his respects and discovered that no dead
have been delivered, not a single one.

He followed one of the plague carts, it passed

the temple, but he lost it in the winding
streets.

He pleads with you to investigate, but to do so

discretely so as not to cause panic amongst the
already troubled citizens.
B3. The Sewers
The dark, looming arch of the sewer entrance is
guarded by pair of large figures wrapped in dark
cloaks. This pair of half-orc thugs is expecting a
delivery of corpses. They will turn away anyone
who attempts to enter the sewers and only fight
those who try and gain entry.

The sewer tunnels are square cut with a low

ceiling and a narrow walkway that runs parallel
to a slowly flowing filthy channel. One end of the
hallways is blocked with a rusted iron grate, the
other ends in a rusted iron door.

A character who listens at the door hears the

guttural voice of a half orc and that of a human.
Not enough silver, grunts the half orc, Three
of my clan are dead. Need more.
Of course, replies a nasal human voice, House
Blackwood will provide whatever you need. We
are so close.

Opening the iron door will reveal a man in

black leathers bearing the House Blackwood crest
handing a huge half orc a pouch, heavy with
silver. They are in a wide, low ceilinged room lit
by torchlight.

The room is furnished with a crude wooden

table and chairs, as well as stacks of crates, boxes,
and sacks. Upon inspection, these contain moist
black earth. Behind a ragged tarp hanging along
the rooms back wall is the ragged entrance to a
freshly dug tunnel.
B4. The Tunnel
The tunnel is roughly hewn through rock and
wet earth, shorn up with wooden supports. It
winds down and away from the sewers. Soon you
hear the sound of steel scraping stone, and the
echoing fall of picks.

A figure approaches slowly from the shadows

of the tunnel. It is a humanoid shape, carrying
an armful of wet earth and stones. As it draws
closer you realize it is a diseased corpse.

Though eyeless, the corpse drops its armful of

rubble when it senses your presence. As it does
so, the noises of tunneling from behind it
cease and two other twisted forms emerge
from the darkness.

Behind them, a hooded figure raises his arms

and shrieks, No! We are too close! You cannot
interfere!
B5. The Final Chamber
[The tunnel opens into a freshly exposed crypt
like chamber, hewn from ancient stone. Mold
blossoms over the walls and worn stone pillars.]
A stone sarcophagus sits squarely in the center
of the chamber. Chiseled atop the slab covering it
is the likeness of a handsome and noble looking
man. The heavy slab can be shifted with a
strength check to reveal a dusty skeleton, hands
folded across its chest.
Around the skeletons neck is a golden amulet
of elvish make, etched with the clearly
recognizable sigil of House Blackwood. The back
of the amulet bears the following inscription:
B6. A Grim Truth
If the characters report what they have seen to
Stor Lackman he will be shocked and horrified to
learn the truth. Though he does not wish to share
the truth with his people he vows to spread word
that the Blackwoods cannot be trusted and the
people must start organizing themselves.
Characters that defeat the necromancer and
recover the amulet advance to the 3rd level

To my beloved, Lord Urth Blackwood, that you

may share in the youth and longevity of my
people, and I in the centuries of thine love.

- King Erdan

Treasure. Several small stone coffers at the side

of the room contain between them, 30,000 cp.
The coins are green and worn with age, though
beneath the grime, they bear the slender profile of
an elvish king.
Chapter 3: The Blackwood
Conspiracy
The Copper District is warren of poor slums
and crumbling old foundries in the Southern
Ward of Waterdeep. Lacking the abundant wealth
of the Trade Ward to the north and the bustling
commerce of the Dock Ward to the West, the
Copper District lies in a state of neglected
disrepair.
Stricken by plague and scared by a recent fire,
the districts problems have only gone from bad
to worse. More terrible still, rumors have begun
to spread that House Blackwood, supposedly
providing aid and relief, has been defiling the
dead. There are murmurings of of plot and
conspiracy.

C1. An Invitation
The characters receive a letter from the
dwarvish merchant, Rurik Amberforge inviting
them to a party hosted by House Blackwood to
raise relief funds for the efforts being made in the
Copper District.
C2. The Torchlit Streets
As they make their way through the city
towards the Northern Ward, they will be
ambushed by The Wooden Man, an assassin
sent by Bran Blackwood. Word of their
meddling has reached him and he has sent this
hired killer to retrieve the amulet at all costs.
C3. The Feast
The Blackwood manor rises on a cliff above
the Northern Ward, a castle in all but name,
with stone towers and spires looming over the
lamplit city below. A long drive winds up to
the gates, thrown open, spilling warm and
inviting light on the crowd of finely dressed
nobles chattering in the courtyard.

Inside is a marble floored banquet hall, with

long oaken tables set for a grand feast. The
ceiling is high and vaulted, bedecked with
chandeliers. Huge fires crackle in the marble
hearths, radiating light and heat. Nobles are
already taking their seats.

Rurik Amberforge is seated at a smaller side

table with other non-noble figures whose wealth
or connections have seen them thus far. He
eagerly beckons the character over and pours
them some wine. No sooner are characters seated
then a portly Damaran clangs his knife against his
goblet to signal a speech.

None of the nobles fall silent, and the mans

speech is lost in chatter. Kosef Blackwood,
says the dwarf, Not a proper noble, just
merchant, like myself, though with quite a few
more gold dragons to his name -- thats why
she picked him. He gestures at the woman
seated to his left, steely haired and steely eyed.
The lady of the House, Westra. Rumor has it
she killed her first husband, poison they say."

If asked, he will happily divulge all he knows

about the rest of the Blackwood family as the
speech ends and the feast is served.

Lady Blackwood is said to have poisoned her

late husband, Lord Geth Blackwood, when she
was pregnant with Bran, her bastard son.

Lord Geth was supposedly more generous and

less cold than Lady Blackwood.

Mara is the eldest child, daughter of Lord Geth

and her father's child, she genuinely seems to
care about the people.

Ander, the young sickly looking boy of less

than ten years has been named heir by his
mother. He is the child of her and Kosef, a
merger of her family name and his vast
trading wealth. She is trying to groom him to
take over when she dies.
C4. The Party
Lady Blackwood. Lady Blackwood, a cold looking
matriarch, is seated at the head of the table. A
long line of nobles have lined up to speak with
her. If asked about her involvement with the relief
effort she will say reveal following:
She is bitter about the pet project of her
noble children.
While she wishes her children would focus
their efforts on more important matters, she
realizes the importance having the support of
the people.
If accusations are brought to her attention, she
will smile coldly and ignore them, gesturing
for guards to escort them out.
Ander Blackwood. Ander sits at his mothers side.
Despite his age, the boy is still attended by nurse
maids who fuss over him to no end. If Ander is
asked about his involvement with the relief effort,
he will reveal the following:
His mother says he is not allowed to go the
Southern Ward, and that commoners are dirty.
He will think for a moment, then repeat what
sounds like a memorized sentence about the
importance of the less fortunate.
If accusations are brought before Ander, he
will get upset and begin to throw a tantrum
over their mean words. His nursemaids will
close around him, comforting him a pair of
guards will step forward, but if the characters
back way, the nursemaids will dismiss the
guards.
Bran Blackwood. Bran sits with the lords, though
apart from his family. He is accepting gifts and
donations to the relief effort, looking bored. If
Bran is questioned about his involvement with
the relief effort he will reveal the following:
He could not play as direct a role as he would
like, as he has been on a hunting trip.
If Bran is confronted with accusations, he will
laugh them off and claim their words to be
absurd. If the press the matter, he will grow
serious and unamused, saying loudly that they
have had too much wine and threaten to call
the guards.
Kosef Blackwood. Kosef has moved away from his
wife and is mingling with the non-noble portion
of the crowd, eating and drinking with much
enthusiasm. He loves to hunt and delights in
hearing about fights and adventures. He will
instantly take an interest in characters that appear
physically strong, well armed, or well armored.
He expresses remorse that none of his children
share his love of hunting. Anders is too young and
frail (though one day he is sure to grow up
strong), Mara is too kind, and Bran is too busy
playing alchemist.
If asked about Bran's alchemical interests, he
will have little understanding of the subject,
but assure the players that spending so much
time locked up in his room is unhealthy.
If confronted by accusations towards his
family, he will make a joke about his wife not
being as cold as people say, and winking
broadly.
 Mara Blackwood. Mara is alternately dancing
on the ballroom floor and resting by its edge,
beset by suitors. If a character approaches her
one of her more forward suitors will take
offense and insist on a duel for his honor.
Characters can avoid this with a successful
intimidation or persuasion skill check.
If they chose to duel him, he and the other
suitors as well as Mara and a group of
onlookers move to the garden. The nobles
footman presents them with a velvet lined box
containing two silvered rapiers. The duel is to
first blood.
If they win, the noble will bow and tell them
to keep the rapier as trophy. Should the noble
win, he will turn expectantly to Mara who will
excuse herself.
Should the character attempt to continue the
duel after first blood, the nobles will mutter
amongst themselves and two house guards will
intervene.
If asked about her involvement with the relief
effort, she will reveal the following:

Mara was surprised it was all her brother

Brans idea.

She expresses frustration that he started the

project, then abandoned it to go hunting.

She wonders if it is just a publicity stunt for

him like it is for Ander.

She thinks her mother is only financing the

thing to give Ander a good reputation.

If accusations are brought against her family,

she will slap the character and fervently deny
the accusations. She personally vouches for
each member of her family.
C5. The Chambers
The house is open to the guests, with
Blackwood guards idly stationed at doorways or
walking the halls. Guests spill into the garden and
converse on balconies.
The door flies open, framing Bran, eyes
shining madly. I think you've seen enough.
Ah the cure... yes, I was going to give it to
them, after I got my amulet, of course, they
would have called me savior."

Anders Chamber He advances, hands crackling with energy,

This chamber is a childs room. The bed and
small desk are proportioned for a young lordling.
On the desk are sheets of ink stained paper, with
lines of text copied as if part of a tutors lesson.
Maras Chamber
This chamber has a four poster bed, a
wardrobe, and vanity table. The vanity supports a
large ovular mirror and is covered in various
cosmetic supplies. The wardrobe holds a selection
of fine dresses. Inside the draw of the vanity is a
pile of letters from various noble suitors, many
unopened.
"You common swine, meddling in matters
greater than you. Im surprised you survived
my assassin. But no matter, all those lives, all
those I killed, with my little plague, cursed
with undeath, I would do it all again, a
hundred times for this. I'll be taking my
amulet and your reward will be a swift death.
When Bran would be hit in combat, the blow
glances off a shimmer of frost. Frost crackles over
his familiar and it cries out in pain.

Brans Chamber
This chamber is locked. Inside it is bare and
sparsely furnished, save for the two small
bookshelves, lined with various tomes. A bed and
alchemy desk sit against one wall. At the rooms
far end, a window looks out over the lamplit city.
In chest at the foot of the bed is brand new,
seemingly unused hunting gear.
On the alchemy desk are various bottles and,
vials, and several papers.

One is a familiar illustration, a depiction of

the amulet the characters found in the
tunnels.

Another is a map of the Copper District,

various locations have been circled and
marked. The characters easily recognize one
as the location of the excavation.

The final paper details a cure for the Copper

Plague.

Brans room is guarded by his invisible familiar,

an imp named Bahezar. Bahezar immediately
informs Bran of the intruders. The imp will not
attack until his master arrives. Bran will arrive to
confront them.
C6. Trades in Silence
After Bran is slain, Mara will rush into the
room.
That traitor -- I heard everything. Tears well
up in her eyes, What the people are saying,
about the corpses, she puts a hand to her
mouth. And takes a shuddering breath,
composing herself.

She spits on her half brothers corpse and

steps over him, I can buy some time -- you
need to flee this place. If it is ever discovered
what you did, no power in Waterdeep, not
even I, can save you from punishment, the
penalty for killing a noble is death. But we
shall trade in silence. I will not reveal you if
you do not speak of my brothers dark deeds
-- My familys reputation in exchange for
your lives.

What do you intend to do with my family's

ancestral amulet?

If the characters give her the amulet, she will

hand them a pouch from her belt containing 60
platinum suns.
She speaks with practiced composure, That
monster, she casts a glance at Brans corpse,
He would have killed Ander and I for the
throne. I am in your debt. Even if the people
cannot know of the lives you saved, the
wrongs you righted, I will not forget what you
did for my family. You have a friend in
Waterdeep, on this day, and all days hence.

Characters that defeat Bran and Bahezar

advance to the fourth level.